Be Still
by Thatredheadgeek
Summary: Tony's worst nightmare comes to life when someone starts killing off the Avengers one by one, leaving him helpless and reeling form the loss. reviews welcome, sorry the summery is so short :) Warning: graphic content, blood, gore and horror


Tony winced as Bruce stitched up a nasty gash in his shoulder. The battle was worse then expected. Everyone got a wound or bruise of some sort. Tony got the worst, flying in front of a missal that was heading for Steve and he honestly acted before thinking. He couldn't let his boyfriend die. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to live without him and that was the only thought running thru his head as the missal hit him. A life without his captain...not happening. The world needs Captain America, it doesn't need Iron Man or Tony Stark. He got a few bruised ribs, one broken and a lot of scratches from the suit denting under the power of the missal that needed stitches. Bruce was on his last one. Steve just watched, arms crossed with that look on his face he gets whenever Tony dives headfirst into certain death. Steve kept his glare to the floor but Tony could see the emotions raging behind those baby blues. Bruce cut the stitch and let out a breath. "All stitched up. I'll...I'll leave you two alone." Tony looked over at Bruce who was cleaning up his supplies. He spoke. "Thanks Bruce, seriously, I owe you, your always having to stitch me up." Steve mumbled. "Wouldn't have to if you'd think." Bruce looked over at Steve before silently thanking Tony and gathering up his things. The tension in the room was too much and was starting to stir the other guy up. It was like the Hellicarrier all over again.

He left, leaving Tony and Steve alone in the lab. Tony almost didn't want to look over at Steve but Steve didn't seem willing to look over at him he decided to break the very thick ice. "I heard that." "Good. Maybe you should listen to it." Steve looked into Tony's eyes and Tony was almost scared. He was pissed and that was hard to do and Tony seemed to have a talent for it. Tony shook his head, standing from the table with a small wince. "And what? Let you die, there wasn't enough time to warn you, it was coming too fast." "Doesn't mean you have to act as a human shield to protect me!" Steve raised and voice and ok..yeah Tony might be a little scared. He glared back, covering up his fear with anger. "Well I'm sure as hell am not letting you die." Steve kicked off the wall, walking toward tony with his Captain America walk. "I'm super human Tony, I have a super serum in my blood, I would have survived that missal. You forget, stupidly that your still human in that tin can. You always do this. You never think, you just dive head first into the nearest death sentience! Do you want to die Tony? Because thats whats gonna happen and soon if you keep this up."

It was getting hard to keep his glare. It always hard to be yelled at by Captain America, your childhood idol. He hated disappointing him. But that comment spurred up some anger in him. "What if I do?" Steve glared. "Then your an idiot. You know, its times like this I wish I was never frozen. Then I wouldn't have to deal with your childishness. Your no hero, your just trying to fly into death." Steve turned sharply, leaving the lab. Tony couldn't believe the words that came out of Steve's mouth, the harshness, the hurt. They were like a knife twisting more and more into his chest. He glared at the ground, trying in vain to ignore the tears that welled up. Steve was just being honest, He didn't mean them insultingly...right? He didn't mean them...then the tears started falling and his shoulders started shaking with sob he didn't have the strength to keep in. Too exhausted to keep them in both psychically and emotionally. His whole body ached with each movement, his breathing becoming faster and faster until he had to kneel on the floor but Steve's words kept echoing until his world went black.

Tony wasn't sure what time it was but he did know he was laying on his lab floor. He winced, sitting up and looking around. Everything was as it was before but it seemed quiet. Too quiet. There wasn't the soft hum from the TV upstairs from Bruce shows or Thors booming voice or any movement in the vents from Clint. "Jay, is everyone here or did they just deiced to leave?" He was using the table for support as he got up, painfully. Then there was quiet. More quiet. He swallowed down his nerves. "Jay?"..."Jarvis?" …...Nothing. He swallowed. This wasn't good. He felt the prickling of panic on his back as he got up, standing with a wince. Jarvis was never offline. He got a random piece of scrap metal to use as a weapon for whoever intruded. The Suit would be too clunky wound the house, that needed a more open space to preform and fly and he wasn't gonna walk in that suit again. Not after the Mandarin Incident. That was just embarrassing.

He had to manually open the lab door, which wasn't hard, he had a handle on it for just such emergency. He made his way up the stairs, slowly, heading to the closest room first,the gym/training room. The whole tower seemed filled with a stillness that was started to really scare Tony. It was never this still or quiet. There was always someone around, someone taking or cooking or arguing over Kirk or Picard was better. He swallowed down his fear, walking closer and closer to the room. Calling out names he knew would be in there or used it the most. "Clint? Nat? You in here? Cause this is starting to freak me out, why don't you just come out, I've learned my lessons, whatever my lesson may-"

He stopped, dead in the doorway to the gym. Clint was strangled with the wrestling mats ropes, danging and laying limp on the floor, his head held up by the rope around his bruised on the mat was Natasha, stabbed and mutilated, her guts just barely hanging out of her once flat stomach. Now a grotesque picture of death and blood. It stunk of death and Tony had to quickly leave the room, eyes watering, throat closing up with bile wanting to rise. He closed his eyes, focusing on breathing but his breathing only got faster... a panic attack as he leaned against the wall, leaning down it, clutching on the floor. He held his stomach, willing it to stay down but he could still smell there blood and death in the room and he gagged. Dry heaving up stomach acid. The burn was a nice distraction.

Once he was calmed he winced, standing, using the wall for support, his body still weak and exhausted after the nasty battle. This couldn't be happening. They wernt dead, they were just plastic dummies with pigs blood, like Carrie. Ok, not like Carrie. He slowly walked in, weapon in hand, walking toward the mat that held the dead bodies of his friends. He felt a lump form in his throat. They couldn't be dead. He inspected Clint first, kneeling down to him, ignoring his bodies aches and pains. His hand traveled up to Clints neck. The roped was wrung so tightly around it, skin bruised and tight and bleeding from the skin breaking. Tony felt a few tears fall down his face as he felt clints skin. Lukewarm, just barely on the cusp of being a cold body. This was only a few hours ago. He looked Clint up and down. He saw his arms and hands. Defensive bruises were on his hands and forearms. He gently felt the arms with his hand. His voice came out shaky and tears wouldn't stop and for once he didn't care. Not like they were alive to view his weakness. "God...Clint..." He looked at Natasha on the mat. He didn't have to go up there to inspect her, the pool of blood and disembowelment was enough.

He got up with a small hiss of pain and started leaving to inspect the other rooms. His lip trembled and he wanted to sob and cry because dammit his friends were dead, his family was dead. A small sob escaped him but he kept moving. He'd never pull pranks with Clint again, never spar with Natasha or argue over wither or not Discovery channel is Educational or some other stupid argument she always seemed to win. He'll never have that same smartass-ness from Clint, that snarky, adorable attitude. Gone. He had to lean against the wall when it hit him that they were truly gone and in the worst ways. A hand came up to his mouth to keep his crying in check but it was so hard. All he wanted to do was mourn his friends but he had to check on Bruce and Thor and Steve. He felt his heart stop a moment, Steve. No, he couldn't be dead. The thought spurred him on, making him walk faster.

He got to the living room and it was so quiet and still. He saw Bruce's head of hair, the TV still on, of everything, Night of the living dead. One of Bruce's favorites. "_There coming to get you Barbra." _ Tony swallowed down his fear and cursed the TV's ironic timing and walked around the couch. "Bruce? Brucie...hey...talk to me.." He finally got around the couch only to see Bruce's body broken and bruised and bleeding. He gasped, nearly running the small space between them, checking a pulse. Nothing. He was gone to. But how? The other guy would have come out and destroyed whoever was attacking Bruce. Unless they got a hold of the Hulk suppressors Bruce had made against Tony's protests. Bruce wasn't a natural fighter, he was a thinker, like Tony. This was like hitting a duck,a very scared, innocent duck and the thought filled Tony with rage. He glared at the ground, vowing to kill whoever did this to his family. He spoke softly. "I'm sorry Bruce." He walked away, going in search of Thor.

He had hopes the demi-God was alive but he knew even Thor wasn't immortal. He looked thru the kitchen, dining room and kitchen which left his room. He took the stairs and stopped, midway. He looked behind himself. He swore someone was watching him in the stillness and quiet of the house. He swallowed and kept walking. He had to know. He got to Thor's room, knocking. "Point break. You ok?" He knocked again."Thor? Blondie? Talk to me.." He walked in and swallowed down his sobs and cries and rang down. His room was a mess. Like a tornado went thru. Tables were over turned, blankets and sheets everywhere and blood, blood was everywhere, sprayed against the wall and white sheets and in the middle of the room lay the God of thunder, blood and bruised and broken and unmoving. Tony walked over, feeling his pulse. Nothing. Gone. And he was cold. He must have been the first victim. Whoever did this had a strategy, a tactic to take down the largest, the ones who could fight back first then work down to the weaker ones. Then why wasn't he dead? Tony stood quickly, weapon in hand, yelling at the air. "Come out! Come out you son of a bitch! I know your here!" He waited a few seconds, the anger depleting from his body like a balloon as his eyes welled up. His family, all of them were dead. His worst nightmare come true.

He'd never collaborate with Bruce and try to get him to come out of his shy, sciencey shell, he'd never share snarky banter with Clint, He'd never spar with Natasha and now He'll never hved to tell Thor to slow down when he ate his favorite pop-tarts and coffee. That he would eat him out of his billions. It was too much, a sob escaped him, bringing him to his knees, letting out his grief. He hasn't found Steve's body and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He couldn't handle that. His sobs became wails of anguish, pounding on the floor like a child in a temper tantrum until his emotions were spent.

His cell phone was in he lab. Once he gathered up enough strength, he made his way to the lab, opening the door with the manual door handle but once inside his arm was grabbed, tightly and thrown to the floor so harshly he thought the air left him. He gasped out in pain but it was short lived as he was grabbed around his neck and was brought to hang in the air. Once his eyes focused, he couldn't believe them. He thought losing his entire family was an awful feeling, he forget betrayal hurts like a bitch. He gasped out, tears starting to fall. "S-St-eve..."He struggled for air ad Steve glared at him before being thrown tot he ground. He coughed, looking up and glaring, yelling out. "How could you!? You did this! You killed them!" Steve just smirked and knelled down to him, making Tony feel a lot like a prey. Steve was covered in blood, splattered on his face, his hands never painted in the red liquid. "Because they were a weakness. I had to get rid of them. "

Tony nearly sobbed out, trying his hardest to glare but the hurt...the sheer, pure hurt was too much. "They were our family..." Steve glared down, taking Tony's face in his hands so tight it would bruise. "They are not my family. They were nothing. You know it was actually easy killing Clint and Natasha? For super assassins they sure let themselves get killed. And Bruce...he just laid there and took it. Good thing he made those suppressors." Steve's voice was low and so dark Tony wasn't even sure if it was actually Steve or something possessing him.

"Thor was a challenge, which is why I went for him first..I went for the strongest and worked my way down. And now your probably wondering why your not dead and if I know you, your wishing it, you want to die. What do you have to live for now? But you know what, I'm gonna do worse. I'm gonna keep you alive and remind you every day why your a weak, pathetic excuse for a human being let alone a hero. Your gonna wish for death, I'll make you beg for it but you will never get it." Tony's lip trembled as tears continued to fall. Then Steve's hand started traveling, getting his shirt and pulling it off and throwing it across the room as he got pushed down to the cold floor of the lab. Then Steve was feeling all around the reactor with a smirk. "Lets started with your little nightlight. I'm sure you'll be alive long enough for me to have my way with you..." He started tugging and pulling at the reactor. Tony winced and cried out in pain, crying out. "No...stop..." He cried out in pain again as the socket was being pulled from his body. Then Steve stopped, getting up. He cried, turning on his side, trying to protect his reactor when Steve came back with the reactor remover. He screamed out. "No! Stop! Please Steve...please..." Steve glared down, his hand going to his neck, keeping him from crying out and moving. "Such a weakling. Your pathetic." He brought the remover to the reactor as Tony struggled.

Steve's hand left his throat but the reactor was already leaving his body, watching it rise with the remover in Steve's hand. It was like Obi all over again. "Oh Tony...look at what you made. It's beautiful. He only beautiful part about you. It doesn't deserve to be stuck inside your weak body. How long til the shrapnel takes affect? About 10-20 minutes at most? More then enough time." Tony struggled for air, feeling the sharp beginnings of the bits of metal making there way to his heart. He felt Steve pull his pants down and thrown to the floor. He could see his reactor, glowing and bright on the ground as Steve moved his body. He felt a slick finger enter him and he felt his eyes well up. Wasn't what he done enough to him? His family was dead and gone. He lay dying on the floor and Steve, his once sweet, innocent, amazing Steve killed them, was in the process of killing him and now rape to. He really hoped he died. He couldn't live with this.

He was feeling weaker and weaker, his body going into a cold sweat, his chest hurting more and more with the sharp metal. He cried out when he felt Steve started to push into him, saying his name in ecstasy. "Tony..." Then the name kept being called, suddenly sounding more frantic and worried. "Tony! Tony wake up!" Suddenly Tony cried out, eyes wide open. He felt gentle hands on him, making him sit up quickly, breathing heavy and fast as he looked around. Suddenly a light in the room came on and Steve was in front of him, gently holding his arms, looking so damn worried. "Tony! It's only a nightmare.." Tony saw Steve, looking terrified, wanting to crawl out of his arms. Tony closed his eyes tightly. "No...please...please don't...I'll be good..." Steve frowned, hurt heart aching for his boyfriend. He spoke softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you...please...Tony it's me... You know I'm not going to do anything to you... it was only a nightmare." Tony slowly opened his eyes looking around fearfully. A few tears falling. It was there room, normal, not bloodied or messed up from a fight. He calmed before nearly jumping. "Clint and Nat, are they ok? And Bruce? Thor, please tell me there ok..." Steve held him down to keep him from falling off the bed. "There just fine Tony, just calm down and talk to me."

Tony looked around, making sure this was there room and it was just as it was suppose to be before talking quietly. "Just a nightmare...it was...bad is an understatement." Steve frowned, sitting next to him, putting his arms around him. "I know, it took me 10 minutes to wake you up, you kept trying to push me away in your sleep, what happened?" Tony swallowed, the images still fresh in his head. "You and me had a fight, a really, horribly fight and I had passed out from a panic attack after it then...I woke up...it was quiet and still and it was so creepy, like something wasn't right..." He swallowed, continuing. "I found Clint and Natasha, they were dead. Clint was strangled with the rope on the wrestling mat and Nat...God...she...she was disemboweled. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. " He felt Steve tense but hold him tighter. "Then Bruce...he was beaten to death...he didn't even fight back and Thor...he put up a fight but he was beaten to death to. Then I got down tot he lab and..." His lip trembled. "It was you... you had hurt them and then you took my reactor out and then you were gonna have your way with me when I started waking up."

He was too scared to look at Steve but he knew he already had he kicked puppy look he does so well. He was held tightly, he felt Steve kiss his head. "I would never, ever do anything like that, let alone to you. There our family, I would never hurt them. I would never hurt you. I love you." A few grateful tears of relief fell down Tony's face as he snuggled deeper into Steves safe embrace. Once he found out that nearly everyone was awake, he wanted to get up and check on them. Tony lead the way with Steve following closely as he made his way to the kitchen where Natasha and Clint were in another stupid argument. He felt his eyes well up with relief. Clint saw them first, frowning. "Whoa, Tony, you ok? You look like shit?" Tony smiled, laughing lightly, watery. "Yeah...fine..."

He walked in, hugging Clint, tightly. Clint was taken aback but one look from Steve told him something happened and that he should just follow along. He hugged back just as tight. Natasha was next on the hug list, adding a kiss to his cheek with a small smile. "Were ok Tony." He wanted to hug her again but thought better of it as he went the living room to find Bruce watching his zombie movies. Bruce looked up, smiling. "Hey, Tony...whoa..." Tony quickly made the space between them to hug him tightly. Bruce looked at Steve and knew it must have been a nightmare. He hugged back. "Hey...I'm ok Tony,, really..." Tony smiled. "Yeah, I know. Wheres Thor?" "sleeping. He had too many pop-tarts and got sleepy." Tony laughed, nearly crying. Everything was normal and fine and his family was ok.

AN: hope this was good, I used the soundtrack from "The Conjuring" to help this along. Reviews are welcome and very much wanted! :D


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